Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them
by StarsHollow4ever
Summary: Lane just found out Rory and Dean broke up.  She secretly wishes SHE could be with Dean now, but she figures her chances to be with him are as remote as Mrs. Kim giving her the freedom to have a real life - AU Romance -
1. Chapter 1

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**:

_Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

_

* * *

_

Lane cradled the phone in disbelief after Rory hung up. She could not believe Rory had chosen Jess over Dean. She remembered how jealous she was when Rory told her about her first kiss with Dean. Lane had fantasized about Dean many times since that first time she'd seen him walk the halls of Stars Hollow High. She'd even thought she'd have a shot at him when he first transferred to Stars Hollow since Rory was leaving to go away to Chilton, but wouldn't you know it, Little Miss Lucky got lucky enough to meet him during her last ten minutes at Stars Hollow High.

She sighed as her mother called her downstairs for dinner and her appetite was even less than usual as she sat and tried to pretend to eat a plateful of scrambled tofu and stir fried bean sprouts and down it with a cup of unsweetened roasted barley tea. Lane was sure that the average American prisoner ate better food than she did when she dined at the Kim's kitchen table.

When school let out the next day, she spotted a defeated looking Dean sitting at a bench by himself at the commons of Stars Hollow High. She didn't know how she should respond. Part of her told herself she'd better avoid him, after all she represented guilt by association and Rory had betrayed him a big way and the other part of her smelled opportunity, so she decided to break the ice in her usual, awkward fashion.

"Hi, Dean," she said meekly as she approached him nervously.

"Oh, hey, Lane," he responded lukewarmly, "I hope you didn't come over here to gloat by proxy on Rory's behalf about her being with Jess now."

"Oh, my gosh! You two actually broke up?" Lane responded, trying to pretend she hadn't known about it.

"Come on, Lane, even if Rory didn't tell you about it – which I don't believe… our break up is the current hottest topic in Stars Hollow."

"Well, I guess I suspected something might not have been right between you two, but I had no idea that you'd actually broken up," she replied, lying again.

"Well, now you know," he remarked tersely.

"Uh, well, Dean, if you two broke up because of Jess, I just wanted to let you know I think Rory made a bad choice and also, I hope you don't avoid me here at school because of what happened. I always thought you were a really nice guy – especially compared to Jess."

"Apparently, being a really nice guy wasn't what Rory wanted and I'm not sure I really want to be a nice guy anymore."

"Aww.. Dean, don't say that. I was so jealous when you picked Rory; I'd been checking you out myself before you asked Rory out. But who am I kidding? A hot guy like you wouldn't have wanted to be with a plain girl like me so I'm glad that my best friend got to enjoy you before she messed it up."

"Lane, you're not plain at all," Dean responded sincerely. "A lot of guys would ask you out at Stars Hollow, but your mother has a pretty vicious reputation in this town about only letting you go out with Korean bible thumper guys."

"Mmm… a lot of guys would ask me out – but not you I bet, Dean. You don't have to make things up to make me feel better about myself."

"I'm not making it up. I always thought you were gorgeous. I'd ask you out, but I don't think your mother would let you go out with me and I didn't think you'd want to since you and Rory are best friends."

"Good save, Dean," she quipped sarcastically. "Well, I'd better get going because we both know my prison warden awaits me. I'm glad, at least, we can still be friends. Bye now."

"Bye, Lane," Dean called out wistfully, remembering that all the times he'd said bye to her before that, Rory had still been in his life. A mere glance of Lane's face was a bitter reminder of Rory.

A few days later, Lane came home to announcement made by Mrs. Kim that she had to leave for three weeks to tend to a sick relative in Korea. It was a sheer miracle that Mrs. Kim wasn't dragging Lane along with her, but even she knew her daughter couldn't possibly miss that much of her school work. It was an even bigger miracle that Mrs. Kim was so distraught about her relative's sudden illness, that wasn't even sending anyone to their house to keep an eye on Lane while she was away in Korea. Lane wasn't nearly as religious as her mother, but she felt like God had answered her prayers by granting her this momentary, much needed freedom.

Another miracle came into her life a few days later when Lane was working in the store after her mother left. Dean came in to pick up an antique lamp for his mother's birthday.

"Wow! I'm not used to coming in here and not having 'You break, you buy!' being screamed in my ear," he joked laughingly.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," Lane replied pleasantly.

"Where IS Mrs. Kim?" Dean asked curiously.

Lane explained that she was in Korea for three weeks to take care of a sick relative and she noticed that grabbed Dean's interest as she told him the story. She helped him pick out a lamp for his mother and gave him a generous discount, knowing that would anger her mother, but right now Mrs. Kim was so far away that it just didn't feel like it mattered.

Dean started to leave and did a sudden about face before he reached the door.

"Hey, Lane, I… Oh forget it, you probably wouldn't be interested…."

"No what, Dean, please finish what you started to say," Lane pleaded.

"Well, my family is going on a picnic at Black Rock State Park on Saturday. Seeing how your mom's gone for three weeks and Rory is probably spending all her free time making kissy faces with Jess these days, I thought maybe you'd like to come along and join us."

"Oh, darn, I'd love to but I have to work in the store on Saturday, I'm afraid I can't come," Lane responded disappointedly.

"What time do you close the store on Saturday?"

"Uh – six o'clock," she replied, wondering why he'd even ask such a question.

"I'm sure we'll be back by five. Why don't I come pick you up at six thirty and we can go to Hartford and catch dinner and a movie?"

Lane started to tell Dean she didn't need to go out on a pity date with him, but stopped herself abruptly and accepted his invitation.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED….  
**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

Lane avoided Dean for the rest of week at school. It wasn't easy, but she had pre-date jitters and didn't want to make things worse by getting tongue-tied or saying something dorky to Dean before he came to pick her up for their date in Hartford on Saturday.

She'd started planning her date outfit the very night he'd ask her out for their date. Since Mrs. Kim wasn't around, she was free to bring out her "forbidden" wardrobe without fear of getting caught. By Thursday night she'd decided on her outfit: hot pink tights, a black leather mini-skit, a spandex, hot pink, spaghetti strap tank top, along with a pair of black, thigh high boots and a stylish leather jacket. She even had a pair of contacts that she had saved to wear for a special occasion such as this.

Luckily, business had been slow Saturday afternoon and Lane was able to close the shop around 5:15 to start getting ready for her date with Dean. By the time Dean arrived to pick her up, she absolutely sparkled!

"Whoa! " Dean exclaimed. When he'd come by to pick her up for their date, he hadn't the slightest intention to make out with her, but her unexpected sexiness was extremely tempting. Dean opened the car door for Lane and announced their plans as Lane climbed in.

"Well, Lane, I know a lot about you since you're Rory's best friend and part of what I know is how you're forced to eat pretty awful garbage at your house , so I'd like you to pick out the restaurant tonight and I'll pick out the movie."

"Uh, okay, since you're letting me pick…." Lane replied smilingly, "how 'bout French food? I've never tried it and I'd love to say I've eaten it at least once."

"Good choice," Dean replied, "I know just the place." He would take her to a lovely, intimate French café called _Chez Pierre. _It had been the same restaurant he'd taken Rory to for their six month anniversary, where they'd enjoyed a lovely dinner before she decided not to reciprocate his "I love you" later on that night. Looking back, he realized he should have just called it quits then, but she had a power over him that it took him an incredibly long time to fight back against. Perhaps Jess had done him a favor in the end.  
"Well, here we are," Dean announced as he pulled into the parking lot of _Chez Pierre.  
_  
Lane started to open her door before Dean stopped her and let her know he'd get it for her. Lane felt her face grow flush with embarrassment. She knew she'd die if Dean knew this was her first real date. She didn't count chaperoned hayrides or Korean Bible studies as real dates and certainly any of those guys her mother handpicked for her would have been much too clumsy to have had a grasp on the normal level of social skills that Dean possessed.

Dean chose the "Chateaubriand for Two" from the menu for their dinner and "Moelleux au Chocolat," a molten chocolate cake, for dessert that was sinfully delicious. Over dessert they discussed going to see _Lord of the Rings _when Lane suddenly noticed Emily and Richard Gilmore were dining in the same restaurant.

"Dean, Rory's grandparents are here!" she exclaimed in a loud, frantic whisper.

"Where?" he asked in a normal voice. "Oh," he replied nonchalantly when he spotted them sitting stiff and properly at their table. "Who gives a shit if those snot asses are eating here? That 's one of the perks about breaking up with Rory is that I don't have to give them the time of day anymore."

"Well, I care," she replied in a frantic whisper. "I'm not stupid. I know we'll never go out again after my mother gets back and it's not worth it to me for my best friend to find out I'm dating her ex-boyfriend."

"Okay! Okay! Don't worry about. Take my keys and go out the side and wait in the car for me while I get the check. I actually think I'm going to have a little fun at their expense," he replied mischievously. 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

After Dean settled the bill, he casually sauntered up to the table where Richard and Emily were eating and before he could reintroduce himself, Emily snapped at him, thinking he was one of the waiters on staff.

"Young man, this pate is simply inexcusable. When I order goose liver pate, I expect it to be made from only the finest foie gras. Judging from the smell and consistency of this horrible muck, I can only assume the person who prepared this chose to open a can of Alpo instead."

"Oh, and you consider yourself an expert on the taste and smell of Alpo, do you?"

"Now see here, young man. I happen to know Francois Dubois, the owner of this establishment, and I'll see it to you that you never work here again because you had the audacity to talk to my wife like that. What IS your name?" Richard demanded angrily.

"Dean Forester. I used to date your granddaughter, Rory."

"Ah, yes… the loser with no ambition. I'm not surprised you're a – WERE a waiter. I'm happy to hear Rory came to her senses and sent you on your way – just as I'm about to do."

"Actually, I'm NOT a waiter. I just finished my meal and I came over to say hello to you and your wife."

"YOU just finished a meal here? I'd doubt you'd have the kind of funds to eat in a fine establishment such as this," Richard chuckled sarcastically.

"You're right sir, I don't - that's really why I came over to your table. I was kinda hoping you could lend me the money to help me pay for my dinner."

"That's absurd!" Emily screeched. "I second my husband's opinion about Rory sending you on your way."

"Yes, ma'am, you're right – that is absurd. My attempts at humor this evening are failing miserably. I do apologize. I know things were never that good between us because you wanted more for your granddaughter. Well, at least I can tell you she's chosen someone now who I think you'll approve of. I understand her new boyfriend goes to Chilton and comes from a very wealthy family right outside of Hartford. I guess I just couldn't compete," Dean said with a straight face, lyingly. He wanted to laugh out loud, picturing the expressions on their faces when they saw Jess eye to eye for the very first time. If they thought HE was unsuitable for Rory, they were in for a very rude awakening when their paths eventually crossed with Jess Mariano's.

"Divine! Well, that's simply divine!" Richard exclaimed joyously.

"Oh, we must get Cook to whip up her famous beef bourguignon and invite this young gentleman of Rory's over for dinner soon," Emily enthused.

"Why, Emily, that's an excellent idea," Richard agreed.

Dean strolled away, knowing they were happily back in their own little world, planning a fantasy that was going to blow up in their faces. He'd give anything if he could be the fly on the wall when Rory brought Jess into their mansion. It gave him a sense of satisfaction knowing they were going to wish that Rory was still with him and not Jess, who was going to have less respect for them than they had for their own servants. Dean was sure that whatever they shoveled out in Jess' direction wasn't going to phase him one bit and he was going to give back better than he got.

"What are you smiling about," Lane asked curiously as a grinning Dean climbed back into the car.

"Oh… I just wanted to make sure and tell them Rory's got a new boyfriend. You know… in case they decide they'd like to formally meet him. "

"Whoa! You told them about Jess?" Lane giggled. "Way to get revenge!" she remarked admiringly, sticking up her right hand towards Dean to high five him.

Dean high fived her back and they drove to the Bow Tie Cinema Palace to see _Lord of the Rings._  
_  
_Lane got excited after they got their tickets and Dean took her by the hand up to the concession stand and told her to get whatever she wanted. She eagerly ordered the obligatory tub of popcorn with lots of butter and salt, a box of snow caps, a box of gummy bears and a large coke. Dean chuckled at how delighted she was to load up on junk food. He'd gotten used to Lorelai and Rory chowing down on major junk on their movie nights, but he knew poor Lane hardly ever got to eat anything tasty and he was really enjoying be able to treat her tonight.

As they settled into their seats, Dean put his arm around Lane and drank in the marvelous scent of her perfume. She was so beautiful tonight, he couldn't help thinking. He wondered if he was going to be able to control himself when she looked so hot. As Lane felt Dean's strong arm wrapped around her naked shoulders, she wondered if she was going to be able to control herself either.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

On their drive home from Hartford, Lane's mind was racing a million miles a minute over the decision as to whether or not she should invite Dean inside or just tell him goodbye when his car pulled up to the curb. For all she knew, he'd only asked her out because it was closest thing he could have to being with Rory. She also realized that Mrs. Kim could have her "spies" planted around the community and a member of their church might see Lane ushering Dean into her house in the wee small hours of the morning. As they crossed into the town limits of Stars Hollows, she'd made up her mind that she was indeed going to invite Dean in. After all, she lived like a prisoner any way and she was going to enjoy her parole to the maximum before it got revoked.

When they arrived, Lane sashayed sexily up the front walk, eager to begin her make out session with Dean, remembering all the details Rory had shared with her about what a great kisser Dean was and hoping she'd have the same magical experience.

As she turned the front door handle and they walked in, she got the most horrific shock of her life.

"Lane Kim!" Mrs. Kim bellowed. "You! GO!" she screamed out at the top of her lungs, pointing angrily at Dean.

"Later, Lane," Dean said softly as started to leave.

"**NO LATER**!" Mrs. Kim yelled after him through the doorway.

"Lane Kim, you disgrace me! You have proven what I've known all these years, I can never trust you. That is why I MUST always treat you like a child," she seethed.

All of the sudden Lane looked over and saw a geeky, spindly looking Korean guy standing there gawking at her. He didn't seem to understand a word of English, but he sure understood the universal language of sexy and he was very pleased with the way Lane looked.

"Who's this, Mama?" Lane asked expectantly, she had a feeling she was not going to like the answer at all.

"This is Popkong!" Mrs. Kim declared.

Lane tried to suppress the urged to giggle, but she ended up exploding into a fit of laughter when she heard his name.

"Stopping laughing, Lane, I brought Popkong here to meet you because he is going to be your husband."

"Oh, no, Mama, now you've gone too far! You can't make me marry someone that I don't want to marry. This is America! And how could you think I'd even be remotely attracted to Popkong? At least the other Korean guys you tried to fix me up with were half-way good looking! And why are you coming back here so early with a guy you wanted me to marry me when you were supposed to be busy taking care of a sick relative?"

"There was NO sick relative, you foolish girl. I heard that Popkong was looking for wife and was good catch, so I needed to hurry over to Korea to meet him before any other mothers arranged a wedding for their daughter. I didn't tell you about it because I wanted to meet Popkong first to see if I approve. Well, I approve and you are going to marry him. I know I cannot make you marry anyone here in America, but I can make you marry him when I take you back to Korea with me. We leave in two weeks!"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore, Jess and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

By the time Lane returned to school on Monday, she was almost in a catatonic state. She sat on the same bench in the commons during lunch she'd spotted Dean on a week earlier and now she was the one sitting there looking defeated. Dean sought Lane out to see how she was doing after the disastrous end of their date, not knowing just how badly things had gone for her after he left.

"Hey, Lane," he said warmly as he sat down on the bench next to her, "so how long are you under restriction for?"

"For the rest of my life," she replied in a whimper, staring down at the ground.

"Oh, come on," Dean replied, chuckling. "I know your mom's tough, but it can't be that bad, can it?" he asked, trying to encourage her as he put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Well, well, well… I thought you had more class than to go slumming for Rory's leftovers, Lane," Jess snickered as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Well, well, well… I thought you had to be a member of the human race to attend Stars Hollow High, until they let you in here," Lane retorted, fuming at Jess.

Jess took a double take at Lane's come back. He could not believe his ears that sweet, docile, gentle as a lamb, Lane Kim had actually been able to come up with that come back so quickly and he decided to have some fun with it.

"Oooh, Lane, that was almost funny, but your comedic timing was just a little bit off. You should have put more emphasis on –"

"What do you want, Mariano?" Dean barked impatiently.

"I _already_ got what I wanted, _Deanie Weenie_," Jess remarked in a dead pan voice, in an obvious reference to stealing Rory from him. "I came over here because _Rory_ wanted me to let Lane know she was going to stop by after school today."

"Well, _Jessica Messica_, you can tell Rory not to bother. I'm on indefinite restriction and I won't be able to have any visitors for a very long time," Lane informed him tersely.

"_Almost _funny, Lane, ya just gotta work on the timing and you might actually be able to make me laugh," Jess replied sarcastically, although he was visibly amused and impressed with Lane's sudden spunk as he started walking off to the other side of the commons.

"I don't care what Jess says, I think your comedic timing is spot on," Dean remarked. "Oh and thank you for those come backs, by the way. Whenever Jess would pull that crap when Rory and I were together, she'd just stand there not saying a word, it's almost like she agreed with him whenever he'd insult me and then she'd want me to hold back because she said she felt sorry for him."

Lane wanted to bask in Dean's compliment of her artful comebacks, but all she could think about was that the rest of her life was about to be hijacked in less than two weeks and she saw absolutely no way of escaping so she started to melt in a shower of uncontrollable tears.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Dean asked sweetly as he looked into Lane's teary eyes.

"Oh, Dean, it's just awful," Lane choked between tears, "my mother is taking me to Korea and making me marry a stranger that I don't love!"

"Oh, Lane, I'm not going to let that happen to you. We'll think of something," Dean reassured her as he held her close. "Come on, let's take the rest of the school day off and walk over to Weston's and talk this all out."

When they got to Weston's bakery, Dean sat Lane down at the corner table and fetched some peanut butter brownies and ice coffees for them as he did his best to try and comfort Lane for the rest of the afternoon.

About three o'clock, Dean had arrived at the suggestion that they contact Child Protective Services to inform them that Mrs. Kim was trying to arrange an illegal marriage for a minor overseas. His mother had a friend that worked for the local agency and he made a call on his cell phone to ask his mother when they could speak to her friend. His mother called him back and informed him that her friend could meet with them during their school lunch hour on Wednesday.

Lane got up to leave after Dean made the call and, for the first time in three days, began to feel some hope about the bad situation she was in.

**TO BE CONTINUED…  
**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Richard and Emily Gilmore, Jess and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

Lane and Dean waited to meet his mother's friend from Child Protective Services, Judy Parker, in front of the school at noon that Wednesday. She still hadn't shown up by 12:15 and Dean got a call at 12:30 on his cell phone from his mother that Judy was called out of town on business and wouldn't be able to meet with them until Monday afternoon.

"Monday afternoon?" Lane shrieked. "That's too late Dean, we'll be leaving the following Saturday and I'm sure she'll need more time than that to get the ball rolling. This is useless!" she cried out dejectedly.

"I think she'll still have plenty of time to do what needs to be done. Just hang in there," Dean replied, trying to reassure her.

"No, I gotta do something myself. I'm only going to rely on your friend if I haven't come up with something on my own by Monday. I'll see you later, Dean. I need to be myself for a while," she replied impatiently as she headed for the school library to see if there were any books she could find that might help her figure out what to do.

She got a few ideas from some of the books she read at the library and was thinking about which ones she should tackle first as she walked home from school.

"Lane Kim!" her mother said loudly as she walked through the front door.

"Hi, Mama!" Lane responded pleasantly, trying to give the impression everything was normal.

"Popkong needs haircut. He must look his best when we fly to Korea this Friday. I need you to take him to the barber right away."

"Fly to Korea this Friday? Mama, that's too soon. You said we were leaving a week from this Saturday!"

"Got better price on tickets for this Friday. Take him to the barber right away and don't be late for dinner! I'm making lima bean chili with rutabaga sauce."

Lane almost gagged when she heard what was on the menu for their dinner that night and angrily went to find Popkong to escort him to the barber shop. When they arrived, she waited until he got seated in the barber's chair and instructed him very firmly in Korean not to leave the barber shop until she came back.

While Popkong was having his haircut, she hung out at Weston's and bought some more of the same peanut butter brownies she and Dean had on Monday and washed them down with a large latte before heading back over to pick up Popkong at the barber shop. She was hoping the brownies and the latte would make her forget her troubles, but as she got closer and closer to where her fiancée was, it was as if she'd never had a bite and the unsettling thoughts of lima bean chili and Popkong were both on her mind.

When she arrived at the barbershop, there was no sign of Popkong anywhere. Maybe he'd stepped into the men's room she thought, so she grabbed a magazine and plopped down on a sofa to wait for him. Fifteen minutes later, there was still no sign of him.

"Hey, Mr. Floyd, have you seen the Korean guy I brought in here earlier for a haircut? I told him to wait here until I came back to get him."

"Well, another Korean fellow from your church came here about ten minutes after you left. He got seated in the chair next to him and they both spent the whole time chatting in Korean while they got their hair cuts. By the way, you owe me $7.50 for your guy's hair cut. He walked out with the other guy and never paid a dime."

"Here's $9.00 and _he's _NOT my guy!" Lane seethed defensively, almost to the point of sounding paranoid.

As she walked out of the shop, she'd wondered if Popkong had just walked back home or if he'd taken off some place with the Korean guy (whoever that was) from her church. She knew either way, she was in for a screaming attack from her mother, who was going to accuse her of all sorts of things because she hadn't stayed with Popkong while he was at the barber shop. She also knew she wasn't going to waste her time running around Stars Hollow in circles, looking for someone she detested. She figured it'd be easier to just go home and let her mother scream herself silly at her and maybe she'd forget about serving the lima bean chili for dinner.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Clara and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

_

* * *

_

Lane charged into the house like a lioness when she returned, she was so angry about all her mother's dirty tricks that she refused to tuck in her tail any longer.

"Where is Popkong, Lane?" Mrs. Kim screamed out.

"I have no idea, Mama!" she screamed back.

"You do not talk to me like that in my own house, Lane Kim. You will go and find him now."

Lane was glad she'd been ordered out of the house, the way she was feeling now, she wasn't sure if she'd ever return.

"Lane!" Mrs. Kim shouted as Lane started heading for the front door.

"What is it?" Lane yelled back.

"First you go and put on that very slutty outfit you wore for that naughty boy you were with when I came home and caught you."

"I don't believe you, Mama! You've never let me wear were clothes like that before. Why do you want me to wear something like that now?"

"Popkong liked you very much that night when he saw you in that outfit. I know, I'm a woman, I can sense these things. Perhaps he ran away from the barber shop because he was disappointed that you don't look like you did the first night he saw you."

"But why is it okay for Popkong to see me dressed like that and not other men?"

"Because Popkong is your fiancée who's going to marry you and not a dirty white American boy who just wants to use you like they do all their other American girls."

Lane almost ran out of the house that very second. She couldn't take Mrs. Kim's insanity any longer and the thought of Popkong ogling her sexually made her want to puke more than the thought of eating the lima bean rutabaga chili. But she realized it might be fun to dress up like she did on her date with Dean and run around Stars Hollow freely, looking cool for once. Also, Mrs. Kim had no idea where Popkong was, so she could stay out as long as she wanted and maybe hook up with Dean along the way.

She put on her outfit again, along with her makeup and contacts and bolted for the door, knowing her first stop was going to be at Dean's house.

Dean's little sister, Clara, answered the door when Lane rang the bell.

"Wow! Are you a movie star?" Clara asked, wide-eyed, as she stared at Lane in her stunning outfit.

"Well, no, actually I'm not, but I hope to be in my own rock band someday," Lane responded, feeling great about Clara's compliment. "Is your brother home?"

"Dean!" Clara yelled out. "A really pretty Japanese girl is here to see you!"

"Tell her I'll be right down!" Dean yelled back as he ran down the stairs.

"Hey, squirt," Dean said to Clara as he affectionately patted her head, "this is Lane and she's Korean, not Japanese. It's not polite to guess someone's ethnicity, so next time just say 'Asian' if you're not sure. Okay?"

"Oh, Dean, it's fine. I wasn't offended," Lane remarked. "She definitely paid me a compliment by calling me pretty, nothing wrong with that all. Uh, could we go some place to talk?"

"Sure! Clara, tell Mom I'll be out for a while when she gets back from Doose's. Okay?" Dean said as he grabbed his car keys off the hook by the front door.

"Okay, Dean. Nice to meet you, Lane."

"It was very nice to meet you too, Clara."

They climbed into Dean's car and he put his keys into the ignition and turned to Lane, admiring her once again in her black and hot pink outfit.

"Have you eaten yet, Lane?" Dean asked.

"Thankfully, no, my mother's preparing a lima bean chili, flavored with rutabaga sauce."

"That's sounds disgusting! We can go for Mexican over in Litchfield if you like," he suggested.

"I like!" she agreed eagerly, relieved she was going to have a much better dinner than she expected.

"There's just one thing I gotta do before we leave, though."

"What?" she asked anxiously.

"This," he replied as he took Lane into his arms and kissed her sensuously. "I wanted to do that so badly when we out on Saturday and I thought I'd missed my chance for good."

"Second chances are wonderful," Lane murmured as she leaned in for another kiss. Her first kiss ever and it was even better than she imagined. She couldn't understand how Rory could ever think about another guy once she'd tasted Dean's lips. She knew she would never be able to.

He took a deep affectionate look into her eyes and stroked her silky, ebony hair gently before he started the car to leave.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at _Senor Pancho's_ and both ordered beef chimichangas while Lane caught Dean up on the latest turn of events in the Popkong saga. Dean didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he sat and listened to the details, but when she announced that her mother had said they were leaving for Korea on Friday, he knew he'd better come up with a solution pronto because he was definitely falling a lot deeper and a lot quicker for Lane than even he'd ever expected.

Dean suggested that they go back to his house and talk this issue over with his parents. He felt quite sure that they'd suggest taking the matter to the police and ordinarily he'd want to avoid taking such drastic measures, especially if it meant Mrs. Kim getting arrested, but he could see that Lane had very little time to waste.

On their way home, they drove through a seedy section of Litchfield, past a dumpy motel called _Beddie Bye Now_,and Lane happened to spot Popkong and the other man from her church that Mr. Floyd from the barber shop had mentioned to her. They were walking through the parking lot with a couple of street hookers on the way to their rooms upstairs.

"Dean! **STOP THE CAR**! That-that's **Popkong **and Mr. Lee from my church going into that motel with a couple of prostitutes!" Lane screamed out.

"Whoa! What kind of church do you go to?" Dean asked laughing as he swerved his car into the parking lot. "Here," he instructed, "take my cell phone and get some pictures of this, in case your mother doesn't believe you."

He quickly stopped the car and Lane snapped the incriminating photos as fast as she could before Popkong and Mr. Lee spotted her. Next, she called her mother and instructed her to get over to the _Beddie Bye Now_ motel immediately. She had her proof with the cell phone pictures, but she wanted her mother to confront Popkong in a way only Mrs. Kim could.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Jess, Rory, Emily and Richard Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

After Lane snapped the pictures and called her mother, she panicked because she realized she hadn't noted the room that Popkong had gone into with the hooker. Dean calmly reassured her it was Room 17 and told her they should just stay put where they were at until her mother arrived.

Ten minutes later, Mrs. Kim pulled into the parking lot. Lane was sure, that as quickly as her mother arrived, she must have broken several traffic laws along the way.

"Where is he?" Mrs. Kim screamed out to Lane as she got out of her car, brandishing Popkong's passport in her left hand.

"Mama! What are you doing with Popkong's passport?" Lane asked curiously.

"This!" she replied and lit the passport on fire.

**"MAMA! **We'll never get rid of Popkong now!" Lane wailed.

"Popkong must pay for what's he done. Now be quiet, the authorities will be here any minute."

Ten minutes later, the immigration officials arrived and Mrs. Kim informed them that Popkong was in America illegally and they entered his motel room and booked him on illegal immigration charges and also busted him for being with a prostitute.

After the officials hauled him and the others away, Mrs. Kim turned her attention on Dean.

"**YOU**!" she screamed out at Dean. "I told you to stay away from my daughter. What are you doing here?"

"Mama!" Lane responded angrily. "If it wasn't for Dean, I would have never found Popkong here and none of us would have known what he was up today. Don't you dare yell at Dean! And by the way, good job burning the passport, but you're not the only one with a weapon in your toolbox."

"What are on earth are you talking about, Lane?" Mrs. Kim asked impatiently.

"I took plenty of pictures of Popkong with that hooker before you got here today. How would you like it if I showed those pictures to the people in our church and told them you wanted to make me marry a whoremonger? You'd never be able to show your face around there again."

"Is this nice boy?" Mrs. Kim asked, almost sounding like she was on the verge of surrender.

"Mrs. Kim, when I used to date Rory Gilmore, I promised her mother I would never compromise Rory's virtue, and I'm willing to make the same promise to you," Dean offered sincerely.

"Why are you no longer with Rory Gilmore if you were such a gentleman?"

"Uh… because she decided she wanted to be with another boy," Dean answered frankly.

"Stupid girl," Mrs. Kim replied, perceiving that Rory had given up a nice boy to be with a bad guy.

"Does that mean you'll let me see Dean again, Mama?" Lane asked excitedly.

"I must meet his parents first and then I will give you my answer."

"Well, certainly, Mrs. Kim," Dean agreed. "I know my mother and father would love to meet you. Would you and Lane like to come to our house this Sunday after church? "

"What time would you like us there?"

"Three o'clock would be fine," he answered.

"Then we will see you at three o'clock this Sunday. Come, Lane, we must go. If I meet his family and approve, you may start seeing Dean then."

"Okay, Mama, goodbye, Dean!"

"Bye, Lane. Goodbye Mrs. Kim, I'm looking forward to seeing you both at my house on Sunday."

"Goodbye, Dean," Mrs. Kim replied respectfully.

As they drove home, Lane almost had to pinch herself to believe that she wasn't going to leave America forever to marry someone she couldn't stand and that she might have a chance to start dating Dean. When her mother drove past Rory's house, she started to worry about what Rory might think about her seeing Dean, and then she spotted Rory's grandparents out in her front yard yelling and screaming while Jess shot them the bird. Lane almost laughed out loud, remembering what Dean had told Richard and Emily that night at the French restaurant about Rory dating a wealthy boy from Chilton. She'd make sure to share the bird incident with Dean so he could reap some benefits from setting up Rory's grandparents.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Jess, Rory, Emily and Richard Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

Before Lane and Mrs. Kim arrived at Dean's house on Sunday, he informed his mother that Mrs. Kim did not eat or drink any food that was fried, or made with meat, dairy, wheat, alcohol, sugar, gluten, salt, artificial sweeteners, carbonation, or caffeine, so his mother threatened to serve her boiled broccoli and tap water, but in the end opted for unsweetened Ginseng tea and a bowl of mixed fruits instead. Clara protested they weren't going to have any real snacks, but Dean's mother promised her if she was on her best behavior that she would take her out for a banana split at Taylor's Soda Shoppe after Mrs. Kim and Lane left.

Sunday afternoon, Lane and her mother appeared at the Forester household promptly at 3:00, both looking prim and proper in their church dresses. Dean hoped Mrs. Kim would be on her best behavior because his parents could get pretty impatient with rude behavior very quickly.

Dean met them at the door and invited everyone to the living room and Dean's mother brought out the tray of tea and fruit while Dean introduced his family to Lane and Mrs. Kim.

Just as everyone was getting seated, someone started banging on the front door very loudly.

"Clara, honey, could you take a quick peek through the curtains to see who that might be?" Dean's mother asked.

"Mom! I think a rich man's coming to our house. I see a chauffeur standing by a very pretty car waiting for him. Should I open the door?"

"Clara, honey, it's not nice to make stuff up when mommy asks you to do her a favor. Sweetie, could you please go see who's at the door?" she asked her husband.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kim," Mrs. Forester said to her. "Dean has told us so much about what a nice girl Lane is. I don't mind telling you how upset I was about how that Gilmore girl treated my son. He was always a gentleman with her and I couldn't believe it when she decided to stop seeing him to be with that hoodlum."

**"**A good girl comes from good upbringing. I do not believe she was brought up by a mother who knew how to teach her daughter to recognize and keep a good boy, so she prefers the kind of boy she has now to a nice one. That is why I come here today. I have very strict moral rules for my daughter and I must know the boy she would date comes from a good family and understands my rules," Mrs. Kim stated firmly.

Lane squirmed in her seat uncomfortably. She agreed that Rory didn't appreciate Dean the way she should have, but Rory was her best friend and she didn't like hearing Dean's mother or her mother putting her down or judging Lorelai to be a bad mother when Lorelai had always treated her so well.

"Everyone, I'm sorry for the interruption," Mr. Forester stated apologetically, "Dean, this gentleman would like a word with you," he said, motioning to Richard Gilmore.

"What do you want, Mr. Gilmore?" Dean huffed impatiently.

"Young man, I am prepared to make you a proposition. It has come to my attention that my granddaughter Rory is no longer dating the lad from Chilton you told me and my wife about at _Chez Pierre_ and that she is currently being squired by an undesirable ruffian named Jess Mariano."

Dean couldn't believe that Richard Gilmore hadn't figured out by now that the boyfriend from "Chilton" had actually been Jess all along and he was wondering whether or not if he should dare ask him what his proposition was in front of his family and Lane and Mrs. Kim when another, even louder knock, came at their front door.

This time, Clara ran to the window and opened the door just as soon as she saw who was on the other side.

"Dean!" Clara called out, "Rory's here with a lady that looks like her big sister. Come on in!" she said as she ushered them down the hallway without waiting for Dean's permission to invite them in.

**"**You see! You see!" Rory said to Lorelai excitedly when she spotted Richard in the living room. "I told you that was Grandpa's car in front of Dean's house! I'm so embarrassed he came here. Grandpa, how could you?"

"Uh… hello," Lorelai said to everybody. She grew flustered as she stared at the larger than expected gathering in the living room. She thought all she was going to have to do was drag her father out of the house and apologize to Dean for whatever devious reason her father had for intruding on the Forester home and now she realized she and Rory had become the stars of a floor show as all eyes in the room fell upon them.

"Lane! What are you doing here?" Rory asked, surprised and confused to see Lane and her mother visiting the Foresters.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Jess, Rory, Lorelai, Emily and Richard Gilmore and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

Lane gulped when Rory asked her the question about why she was in Dean's house. She'd known if her mother actually approved her dating Dean that eventually she was going to have a heart to heart with Rory to explain to her that she was seeing Dean, but she never dreamed Rory would come barging into Dean's house today and was totally unprepared to have this discussion with her right now. Luckily, she didn't have to answer right away, because Richard Gilmore was on a mission and was growing impatient to accomplish it.

"Who cares why she's here, Rory?" he growled rudely. "I'm glad you and your mother are here though, so I can talk some sense into you two and Dean."

"Dad! What in the blueberry blazes are you talking about?" Lorelai asked irritably.

"I'm talking about that incorrigible snake Rory is dating and I'm here to offer Dean a chance to take Rory back. Dean may not be very industrious or the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but I can offer him a position with my firm when he finishes school and he certainly seems a good deal more respectful than that street urchin, Jess, whose life destiny unquestionably lies behind the bars of a prison cell."

Before Dean or his parents had a chance to rebut Richard, Mrs. Kim jumped into the fray.

"You cannot blame the street urchin for Rory's poor judgment. I am sorry, but it is simply too late for your granddaughter to reconsider being with Dean any longer. It has already been decided by the families that he will begin dating my daughter, Lane, immediately."

"You, lady, have neither the money nor the influence to override any decision I've already made. I have the power to make Dean rich beyond his wildest dreams if he agrees to start seeing Rory again. What, pray tell, do you have?"

"I have this!" Mrs. Kim replied strongly as she reached into her purse and pulled out a Korean Bible.

"Oh, you're not seriously telling me that you think that'll make him want to be with -"

"Dean!" Rory cried out, interrupting her grandfather. "Are you actually going to start dating Lane?"

"Yes, I'm actually going to start dating Lane!" he answered incredulously. "What do you care? You're with Mariano now any way."

"I know, it's just that if we breakup, I just assumed you and I would get back together. No offense, Lane, but I don't think you should be going out with my ex-boyfriend…"

"Uh-huh, just as I thought Gilmore, you still can't make up your mind between me and _Deanie Weenie," _Jess muttered, appearing out of nowhere.

"Jess!" Rory replied in shock. "How do you get in here?"

"I found a wooden thing that had a round knob on it that I twisted until it opened. How did you get in here?" Jess asked sarcastically. He'd actually been walking by Dean's house when he noticed Lorelai's jeep out front and decided to let himself in the front door to see if Rory was in the house with her or not.

"Jess, you need to get out of my house now!" Dean yelled.

"Okay! Okay! Rory – you can _have_ Frankenstein; I'm going back to Shane. She may not be much, but at least I know she's loyal and she's a much better kisser than you ever were."

"Splendid!" Richard cried out exuberantly. "Well, Dean, a deal is a deal. The street urchin is gone for good now and if you're willing to court my granddaughter in the manner I find suitable, you are on your way to becoming a very wealthy man."

"No disrespect, Mr. Gilmore, but I wouldn't take your granddaughter back if she were the last single girl on earth. I've already made up my mind I want to be with Lane."

"**HOW DARE YOU TURN DOWN AN OFFER TO BE WITH A GILMORE!" **Richard bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Congratulations on your good judgment, Dean, turning down an offer to be with a Gilmore Girl is usually the safest thing a man can do. I'm happy for you and Lane," Lorelai said, looking thoroughly embarrassed that she was related to either her father or Rory.

"Mom, I can't believe you said that. Dean is supposed to be with _me_ now. I'll never forgive you for this, Lane," Rory seethed.

Lane just stared at Rory as she carried on and began to realize that Rory and her grandfather were a lot more alike than she'd ever imagined would be possible.

Once Lorelai managed to push Rory and her father out the door, Mrs. Kim got up to address everyone in the living room about her rules for Lane dating Dean.

**T****O BE CONTINUED…**


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

**** Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them ****

**Genre**: Romance  
**Pairing**: Lane/Dean  
**Rating**: K+  
**Disclaimer**: _Lane, Dean, Mrs. Kim, Clara and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

* * *

__

**This is the final chapter of "Miracles Happen When You Least Expect Them." I'd like to close out by thanking Jeremy Shane, 2Wingo and Defying Gravity23 for their feedback and encouragement to keep going with this story. I guess Lane actually had a "Dean" on the show when she dated Dave, but unfortunately (as with all the hot guys on GGs, except for Luke) we didn't get to enjoy him on the show as long as we should have. I also wanted to write this story to show Dean being with someone like Lane who I'm sure would have appreciated him and been a loyal girlfriend to him. We saw a glimpse of that with Lindsay, but we really didn't know her and so most of us really didn't care when her and Dean broke up.**

* * *

As Mrs. Kim rose to read her list of dating rules, Dean's father folded his arms and stretched his legs out over his black, leather ottoman with a look of amusement written on his face. He was an avid fan of sitcoms, but since there weren't any more good ones on television, he was going to relish every minute of the live entertainment that was taking place in his very own living room today while it lasted.

"Wow, a list of dating rules. That's just like that show, _Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. _How many rules does your list have, Mrs. Kim?" Clara asked enthusiastically.

"My list has nine. It used to have ten, but Dean is not Korean, so I scratch that one off my list and the dating rules for my daughter are _not _simple," she declared.

"Ooh! Ooh! I bet I know the first rule. Can I guess it? Can I?" Clara called out, raising her hand and waving it around eagerly like she was Steven Urkel in an advanced math class trying to call out an answer to a problem.

"Yes, you may guess, but be quick child," Mrs. Kim agreed impatiently.

"The first rule is…. 'You break, you buy!' Am I right? Am I?" she asked excitedly.

"Good one, Clara… that was good!" Dean's father said to her before he erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"Mama, this whole list idea of yours is ridiculous," Lane cried out. "You already know Dean is a nice boy and you can see he comes from a nice family. If you insist on reading this stupid list and embarrassing me, I'm just going to call the whole thing off. I'm really fond of Dean and I want to be with him, but it's not worth it if Dean and I have to be humiliated like this!" Lane declared before she broke down into tears and ran outside.

"Lane, wait!" Dean said as he ran after her.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," Lane apologized, clinging to an elm tree in Dean's front yard, with tears streaming down her face. "Maybe Rory's grandfather's right. Maybe you and she should get back together. Jess is out of the picture now, so it wouldn't be too difficult to pick up where you left off."

"Lane, I don't want Rory back and I don't care about your mother's list of rules. If it makes her happy to stand there and recite them, then let her do it. We're seventeen now. We only have to put up with her rules for another year. Even if we go back in there and says she's changed her mind about letting me see you, I'd wait for you 'til we're eighteen because you'd definitely be worth the wait, Lane."

"Oh, Dean, do you mean it?" Lane asked, not realizing the depths of how much Dean truly cared for her.

"You know I do," Dean answered as he sensuously took her into his arms and kissed her. "I got a feeling 'No Kissing'_ is _the first rule on your mother's dating list," he quipped.

"Well… we're going to have to break that rule as much as possible," Lane laughed.

"As much as possible," he murmured in agreement as he drew her in for another kiss. "I love you, Lane."

"I love you, too, Dean," Lane said back to him. She could not believe she was standing here with Dean, a boy she'd had a crush on for so long, never thinking she'd be able to even kiss him, let alone hear him tell her he loved her. She'd once heard miracles happened when you least expected them and now she knew it was true.

****THE END **  
**


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